question AND exlamation mark

I like to think grammar is one of my strongest points when it comes to writing, however this is the one thing that confuses me.

I have read in previous posts that using ?! should be a rare, if ever, occurence, yet I find myself using it more often than I would like. I only use it in speech, where a character is shouting a question. It doesn't look right to me, but if they are asking a question and shouting, should you use both or settle for one or the other...and if so which one?

This is the one thing which stops me in my tracks everytime I come to edit. It's as if I don't want it to be there because something tells me it isn't right. But at the same time I don't see another way around it.

I use "?!" when I'm texting/emailing to show shouting. But when writing a story, you should only use a question mark, and then show that the character is shouting in whatever way works best--describing body language, simply saying "he shouted", etc.

i agree that it's not acceptable to use more than one ending punctuation mark in one's writing for publication [unless, that is, you're inserting a written message from a character who would do so, into the ms]...

i agree that it's not acceptable to use more than one ending punctuation mark in one's writing for publication [unless, that is, you're inserting a written message from a character who would do so, into the ms]...

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Spot on. The sentence is either an exclamation or a question. I can imagine the intonation for "You told him my age?" and for "You told him my age!", but I have no idea what the intonation is for "You told him my age?!" The direct speech is no longer just reporting what is said. It is also telling us what the speaker thinks about what they're saying, and that has no place in direct speech: it's an authorial intrusion.

Incidentally, there is one valid use of ?! other than reporting the writing of a bad writer. In chess it denotes an apparently poor move that might work (and !? indicates a move that looks good but is actually dangerous). That probably doesn't come up often in creative writing, but on the odd occasion it does then the double punctuation is there to be used.

I think that (a) just looks incorrect. (b) looks correct, but doesn't look like it would fit in wiriting with any semblance of formality (I might write it in a text message or a non-work related email). (c) was apparently a fad in the 1960s, and is as outdated as your Uncle Mike's paisley sportcoat.

I think that (a) just looks incorrect. (b) looks correct, but doesn't look like it would fit in wiriting with any semblance of formality (I might write it in a text message or a non-work related email). (c) was apparently a fad in the 1960s, and is as outdated as your Uncle Mike's paisley sportcoat.

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A) Looks correct because he's asking a question first, but you know its being yelled too for emphasis. I would use it if that sentence was in the middle of a paragraph.

"I saw you last night! What the hell were you thinking?! You make me so ashamed!" She yelled.

Without the ?! it would seem as if she asks that question calmly and then returns to yelling. However, I am not an English teacher. I will ask him when I see him though.

I genuinely don't see much cogency in any of the points which argue against the use of this happy arrangement.

- It is technically improper. It is unconventional/ informal. Tough. You are an artist, do as you see fit. It may backfire, of course.

- Use words to depict this particular thrust of emotion.. you are a writer after all. As a writer you would be well advised to use the tools available to you. These tools include punctuation points. Very straightforward...The same argument that may be (devastatingly) deployed in defence of the maligned semi-colon.

I genuinely don't see much cogency in any of the points which argue against the use of this happy arrangement.

- It is technically improper. It is unconventional/ informal. Tough. You are an artist, do as you see fit. It may backfire, of course.

- Use words to depict this particular thrust of emotion.. you are a writer after all. As a writer you would be well advised to use the tools available to you. These tools include punctuation points. Very straightforward...The same argument that may be (devastatingly) deployed in defence of the maligned semi-colon.

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I agree to a point.

In the world of fashion, if you can pull off a pink polka-dotted shirt with pinstriped pants (or the aforementioned paisley sportcoat), then by all means, do so! But if you can't pull it off, you'll look rather silly.

I think the same applies to out-of-fashion punctuation marks. Clothes and punctuation go in and out of fashion, and it takes someone to start a trend either way. Can everyone do it? (no) Does that mean you shouldn't try? (No, but be aware of your own limitations -- if you can't pull it off, try something different.)

In both fashion and in writing, these are things to try out in the privacy of your own home, and, if you think you can get away with it, maybe show a few people with an eye for the field and see what they think. In both fields, rules are simply trends waiting for someone -- the right someone -- to bend or break them.

The words themselves suggest some kind of forceful intonation, and there's the 'yelled' in the dialogue tag for good measure...

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true, i always second guess things like that.. go look in a book where the character is yelling and uses a question mark mid yell. harry potter yells a lot towards the end of books... but like someone said earlier.. do as you see fit. i suppose an editor will fix it either way

I use "?!" when I'm texting/emailing to show shouting. But when writing a story, you should only use a question mark, and then show that the character is shouting in whatever way works best--describing body language, simply saying "he shouted", etc.